Black Dawn
by JDX
Summary: This fic's on hiatus, so I won't tell you anything that might make you frustrated with me because it sounds so good, but you don't want to read it in case it's never finnished. If I come back to it, you can expect major edits before I continue writing
1. Revival of an Android

Black Dawn: Part 1

Revival of an Android

Author's Note: Just to make sure you know where the story starts, it is set four years after The Majin Buu Saga.  Goten is eleven and Trunks is twelve, the only ages I can give you right now.  Please don't pester me about how long I take writing each part.  I'm working on an original series at the same time so don't push me.  Now, let's get to the story!  

Saicho had always considered himself a strong person.  At birth his power read 13000, though of course all that power was untapped.  By the time he was 7, his power read an amazing 18000 and he was drafted into King Cold's army.  He had wanted to be in Freeza's army, because they got to do MOR dirty work, but Coola and Cold were getting all the strong soldiers who weren't Saiyans.  

However, when Planet Vegeta was tragically hit by an asteroid, Saicho got his wish.  

Now, Freeza was long gone, his only legacy, the log of his journey to Namik and his adventure their.  After Freeza, Coola and Cold all disappeared on Earth, their had been a power struggle between the remaining members of the Cold Empire.  Saicho hadn't exactly won, a man called Cazaza had done that, but he felt he had come out on top, after all, not only had he stolen Freeza's log, he had learnt the Cold family's darkest secret.  

"Sir," one of Saicho's men said through his communicator, using his space suit's thrusters to move closer.  "We've completed the search of the area where Freeza was found.  Nothing."

"Could Freeza have been moved by the explosion of Namik?" Saicho asked, hovering above his soldier. 

"Certainly, he could have been thrown several miles by the initial explosion. The item we are searching for could also have been moved a long way by the thrusters of passing space ships. If your assumption that this object cannot be destroyed is incorrect, then we are wasting our time here.  It would certainly have been destroyed by the sudden change of environment when Namik was destroyed." 

Saicho scowled behind the visor of his helmet.  "Keep looking!" he ordered.  

***

"Woman!!!" Vegeta roared.  "Wake up! The stupid gravity room isn't working!"

The words that wrenched Bulma from sweet dreams of her husband cooking Bacon and Eggs for breakfast.  No no.  Instead it was the gravity room again.   "Vegeta, it isn't working because you broke it! You fix it yourself!" Vegeta's face turned blue.  "I am the King of the Saiyans!" he yelled.  "You do not-" Bulma leapt out of bed, whacked the saiyan with her bedside lamp, which smashed to pieces on impact with his head, and walked over to the wardrobe to get dressed.   "Good, wench," Vegeta said, leaving the room.  

***

Goten was, as he had been since late yesterday afternoon, on the phone.  His girlfriend, Kaew, had kept calling back, though Chi-chi must have got Goten off the phone 20 times.  She was running out of reasons.  Her plea, "You have to have breakfast Goten!" was countered by, "I'll make up for it at lunchtime." Chi-chi's eyeballs rolled up into her head at this… a saiyan never resisted the temptation of her cooking!  Goten's girlfriend had to be one hot chick!  

Goku and Gohan couldn't help either.  Gohan was at university, on a three day mathematics course and Goku had gone to see Yamcha.  Well, Goku wouldn't have helped; he'd just shrug, scratch his head and say, "Let him be Chi-chi." He wouldn't get it. 

How much had this relationship cost already, 50 Zeni? But really, deep, deep down, she didn't care.  Her son was doing what he wanted to, and that was what mattered most.  This might turn out like Gohan and Videl's relationship had, eventually. They would be married in two months.  Not long.  She couldn't wait.  

***

The universe is ruled by hundreds of different deities.  The Supreme Kai was one of the MOR powerful ones.  But the universe could not possibly rest on one person's shoulders.  No, that would be too dangerous.  Not even Dai Kaio could hold that much power, before he was absorbed by Majin Buu.  Their were many gods above the kame's and the Kai's and the Supreme Kai's.  

And one of them, like so many other people, had become interested in a small insignificant blue ball in the middle of a galactic desert.  The home of the only remaining Saiyans.  The place where Freeza, Coola and Cold all died.  The place where Doctor Gero invented his androids.  Doctor Gero's androids.  One in particular.  The misfit.  That was what had interested him.  Created in only one timeline, but somehow leaving his mark on all of them.  Never fulfilling the destiny that he had meant too.  Never going to complete his true quest, Freeza's legacy.  Confusing the higher gods, he had somehow wiped out several timelines in this cosmic catastrophe.  Then he was gone, blown into pieces.  Tiny fragments scattered over a large battlefield.  Fragments that the god new, with care and a little magic could be reassembled.  This was what he had been doing for the last few days, and now, he needed only one more piece, and then the android who was to play such a futile part in the upcoming battle would be revived.  It was so vitally important, what he had to do, what Gohan, and Goten, and Trunks, and the android had to do.  To set it all right.  To repair the damage the Future Trunks had caused trying to fix a smaller problem.  "It has to work!" he thought,"Or the universe is done."

The last piece was difficult to retrieve.  A rock had been rolled on top of it, and it had pushed the fragment of steel deep into the ground.  The god had to dig down carefully with his hands until he found it.  He would have used energy but it was important that none of the parts were damaged.  Some how, Android 16 had been neatly killed, just blown into pieces, with no real damage.  Of course, they were rusted, and some were scratched and dirty, but the memory was complete, and everything else could be repaired by magic.  The god brought the last piece over to the huge pile he had made, and added it to the other parts. Then, standing over the pile, he pointed his palms down at the fragments and called forth the energy he would need.  His palms began to glow faintly, as did the scrapheap before him, then the pieces…changed.  They didn't move, but fused into each other, melding seamlessly into one piece.  A few seconds later a giant android lay prostrate on the ground.  But the god was not finished yet. Suddenly, clothes appeared from nowhere on the android, fitting perfectly.  Finally, the android stood, slowly.  The god relaxed his arms, which he had held in front of him through the entire process.  "Who are you?" he asked, "Tell me your name."

"I am Android 16," the android said.  

"Good. What is the last thing you remember?"   

"Earth, Gohan and Cell," the android said simply.  

"Good," the god said, "that is all you need." He reached out, touched the android's arm, and the two disappeared.   

***

Bulma fixed the bedside lamp, and Vegeta spent that day training, like he spent every other day.  He never grew weaker, like the others did from lack of exercise. Though he didn't want to kill Goku anymore, he still wanted to be the strongest, nothing could dampen that desire.  Trunks shared it, deep inside, he could tell.  It made them Saiyan. He just wished that Kakarot's boy would keep away.  He was a bad influence, and together they could really get to him, something they did all too often when they got the chance.  But at least they were good fighting partners. When he sparred them together, he had a hard time keeping them both at bay.  They definitely new how to fight as a team.

***

A group of soldiers suddenly came rushing excitedly to Saicho.  "We've found it," the leader said.  It's being hoisted onto the ship as we speak." 

"Good," Saicho said.  "I will supervise.  Tell them to have it put in the cargo hold.  We will now return to Freeza Planet #79, to make sure this is the item I have been seeking.  And then…It will be time."

***

Android 16 was in the forest, the forest he had enjoyed all that time ago, when Cell was terrorizing Earth.  Here, he had completely defeated the program Doctor Gero had installed in him.  The god had not incorporated it into him when he was rebuilt.  Now, only the memory of it remained.  He was free…almost. He still had his final mission to complete. After he had been revived, he had been taken to the planet of the being who had recreated him, and he had been put through many tests, until the Lawgiver, as the deity had called himself, finally decided that he was ready. Then, Android 16 had finally been told why he was there. He had been given only clues, because direct help from immortals, other than to correct mistakes in the course of events was forbidden, but he had all the information he needed. He had ten days. Ten days to prepare himself and the other Z soldiers for the end, and the beginning.  The Saiyan prince, the savior and sons.  

And the Black Dawn…


	2. Sugakoo

Black Dawn: part 2

Sugakoo

He was sealed inside a pod of organic material, just like Cold had written in his personal diary.  The substance they needed to melt it was difficult to obtain, now that the Cold Empire was gone, but when it was poured on the pod, it worked instantly.  Within a few seconds, a strange being lay in the puddle that had been his tomb.  "Sugakoo," Saicho gasped.  He was strong, obviously, Saicho could tell by just looking at him.  He had to be as strong as Coola in his fourth form now, and that wasn't near what he could offer at full power.  At full power, he would be the strongest.  Sugakoo's eyes snapped open.  He was awake.  Saicho and the two scientists quickly stepped out of the room, closing the energy resistant door.  It was lucky.  Sugakoo stood slowly, and then, unleashing a mighty raw, he let loose his full power on the laboratory around him.  The power flooded from his body, uncontrolled, shooting from his arms, legs, eyes and mouth, creating a brilliant, thundering aura around him.  Then it was all over.  The lab was in ruin and Sugakoo stood in the middle of it, stretching his muscles.  The door opened and Saicho stepped in.  "Who are you?" Sugakoo asked.  "You are not Coola.  This is Freeza Planet#79, but there are no powerful soldiers on the planet.  Nobody manning the guard towers.  You are one of the strongest on the planet! What is this?!!" 

"I am sorry sir," Saicho said, "but the Cold family has been overthrown.  Freeza was defeated and injured seriously by a saiyan worrier, on planet Namik. He disappeared, following the saiyan to his home planet, along with his father.  Coola came to that planet 1 year later, and also disappeared.  All three are presumed dead." Sparks came from Sugakoo's fingers.  "He went to Namik! He disobeyed me to the last! He even went after the saiyans! What if he has killed one of them?! If he were alive I would make sure he did not keep that status, in fact, I may pay him a visit after I've been to the Kai planet! Now I have only one hope." 

"Sir, I resurrected you," Saicho said, "I recovered Freeza's logs. I know about the Black Dawn Prophecy. I could help you!"

"You could," Sugakoo mused.  "I am leaving for now. I want you to organize a force of the strongest men you could find. I will return in ten days. Have a ship prepared to transport the army.  We will leave soon after my return."  

"Yes sir," Saicho said, but Sugakoo had already disappeared.   

***

Gohan walked out of the Orange Star University, increasing his pace as he got further from the building, and then breaking into flight.  He rocketed over the city faster than any aircraft.  The three-day mathematics tutorial was over.  He turned west and headed towards Dende's lookout, a quick detour before heading home.  He would be back before Chi-chi missed him.  

***

Kibitokai and his ancestor were on the planet of The Grand Kai.  Ever since he had seen Majin Buu defeated, Old Kai had been pondering over Earth.  The saiyan, Goku was stronger than all of them put together.  It looked like he was the strongest in the universe, now that Gohan had stopped training for so long.  Even The Supreme Kai after fusing with his assistant couldn't match him.  This bothered him that a saiyan stronger than all of them combined existed.  If something went wrong, if Goku got out of control, then it would all be over, which was what he was trying to convince North Kai of now.  "I've learnt to trust Goku," North Kai said.  And the universe would be in a big mess without those guys. Not only would we still have the Cold family on our hands but the androids, Cell and Majin Buu would still be here." 

"May I remind you," Said Old Kai, "that if Goku never existed than the androids wouldn't have been created, and Buu could never have been woken as strong?  And if it wasn't for Vegeta then Freeza would never have learnt about the dragon balls, and would have grown old and died anyway." 

"May I step in to the conversation?" asked Kibitokai, "I think Goku is an insurance policy.  You live by the old ways, ancestor, and if you were to, put Goku out of the picture, it would still take a lot of training to bring us to his level, and besides, both you and North Kai are still in power only because you have nobody to replace you.  You are both dead, are you not?  You yourself break the rules that bound your generation of Kai's. Those laws are obsolete because they only work in a situation where the Kai's are the strongest in the universe." 

"Which if Goku wasn't alive would be true," Old Kai retorted.  

"Wrong," a third voice said.  "If Goku was dead, I would be the strongest, and I am most certainly not a Kai."

Kibitokai spun around.  In front of him was a demon like worrier.  His skin was blood red, and he wore a form fitting suit that seemed to swell out when he breathed, as if it were alive.  He had long fangs and deep red eyes that glowed malignantly in the dim light rapidly fading as the demon stood, emanating an evil aura around him.  "Greetings Kais," he said, venom dripping from his voice, "what an honor it is to be here among you today.  My name is Sugakoo. How do you do?!!" He raised two fingers and shot an incredibly fast beam from them.  Kibitokai dropped to his knees, clutching his chest in agony.  "Where is Dai Kaio when you need him?" Sugakoo taunted. "Oh no! Buubuu ate him! Now your only defense is this weak Supreme Kai, who is out after one single attack! You can't risk bringing the worriers you trained into battle! They're all dead, and would be no match for me anyway! And to think, you wanted to take Goku's strength, or even have him killed! Then you would really be in trouble! Nobody to save you! In one single attack I could have taken over the universe!" All the kais looked on in shock, as the demon taunted Kibitokai.  "This can't be," North Kai said.  "The Black Dawn Prophecy.  I thought Sugakoo could never be awoken.  I was a fool.  I should have had it destroyed! This is just like Buu, only worse!  Buu could be beaten, but this, it can't die!" 

  
Sugakoo spun.  "Something wrong, North Kai? Does it bother you that you could not anticipate my reawakening? Are you following in the footsteps of your ancestor? Are you going to stand back while I kill everyone else? After all, there's no point in killing you. Goku did that for me!" 

North Kai stood his ground.  "It won't happen that way," he said. "I'm not like The Supreme Kai. Goku and the people from Earth will defeat you, somehow!"

"I doubt that.  You Kais depend on Goku.  What if you were all alone?! What if Goku was really dead, like one of your own people planned?" 

"If Goku was dead, we would give up," North Kai said.  "But he isn't.  You should think of the present, after all, the present is most important." 

"The future is the result of the present. What happens now will determine what will happen in 100 years, and besides, I have a prophecy to fulfill, so to me, the future is much more important!" His voice quieted to almost a whisper.  "But for you, Kais, the future will be very bleak." 

***

All was quiet at Capsule Corporation's living quarters.  Vegeta had damaged the gravity room, again, and had come inside and collapsed on the couch in frustration.  Since then he had turned on the sports channel, and now had his eyes glued to a wrestling match.  Android 16 stood in the doorway, looking on silently.  Since he had no readable power, Vegeta couldn't sense him.  He stepped into the room.  It was time to announce his presence.  "Vegeta?" The saiyan was up in a second, charging up a weak energy ball in his right hand to hurl at the android.  He had recognized him from the Cell Game 11 years earlier.  He launched the ball, to give him time to transform into a Super Saiyan. Android 16 caught it in his hand and bounced it harmlessly out the open window.   Before Vegeta could transform, probably wrecking the room and a lot more, 16 grabbed him by the arms and slammed him into the couch, leaving his imprint in the back of it.  "Vegeta, I did not come to harm you," he said, "I have been revived to help you. Please find your son, and then we will fly to Goku's home. There is trouble on the Kai planet which will soon be here."

***

Goku, Chi-chi, Gohan and Goten (phone disconnected by strong winds) were outside enjoying the peaceful night.  "The sounds of the animals," Goku said.  "They're-"He was interrupted by Vegeta, Trunks and Android 16 coming in to view, settling down in front of them.  "Hey Trunks," Goten said. 

"Oh Vegeta, how are you," Goku greeted his nemesis, "and aren't you that android who was going to kill me? I thought Cell blew you into a million pieces!"

"He did," 16 said, "but I was revived to help you.  You have a battle to fight.  The Supreme Kai has been attacked by a crime lord almost as strong as Majin Buu, and much more dangerous." 

"Oh no," Chi-chi said, "not again!" 

"Looks like it is Chi-chi," Goku said, "don't worry, I'll keep my promise." 

"Kakarot and his wife," Vegeta muttered.  Gohan who was standing next to him chuckled softly.  

***

 "In five days the Earth will be attacked by a huge force. The kai planet is probably now under the control of the demon who engineered this. We need to save both planets." Android 16 and the saiyans were inside now, around a table.  "Both?" Gohan asked, "How can we do that?" 

"In 5 days some of us will go to the Kai planet, where the larger threat is," 16 explained. "The weaker ones will remain on Earth to take on the force that is coming here and then once Earth is safe Goku will come to collect the ones who stayed, and we will complete the job on the Kai planet. Goten and Trunks will stay in the charge of Piccolo, wile Goku, Gohan, Vegeta and I will travel to The Kai world." 

"I thought you would be considered one of the weaker fighters android," Vegeta said.  "You were defeated by Cell." 

"When I was revived I was granted much greater strength so I could be more use to you," 16 told them, "I was actually meant to survive the Cell game and become one of you, but all the time travel made the timeline unstable and for a time nobody could accurately predict what would happen."

"So the timeline actually changed without any real reason?" Gohan wondered, "Strange. It was Androids 19 and 20 who first attacked us in this timeline, and we never quite figured out why the two weren't the same, and in future Trunks's timeline you never seemed to show up at all." The conversation was interrupted by Goten falling off his chair.  He had fallen asleep suddenly.  Goku picked him up.  "I know that androids don't get tired, but we do," he said, "I say we can continue this conversation tomorrow." The others nodded and got up.  #16 stood against the wall recharging.  Vegeta slept on the couch, and Trunks slept on the floor in Goten's room.  Tomorrow, the fighters would begin preparation for the time when the Black Dawn came.  

Tonight will be the last peaceful night they have. 

Author's Note: Kibitokai is what the dubs and I call The Supreme Kai and Kibito combined.  Vegeta called him Kibitoshin, but everyone else called him Kibitokai and so that is what I will call him.  Dub terms only in this fanfic, because I started out a dubbie and it's less confusing that way. 


	3. Abduction

Black Dawn: Part 3

Abduction

It was midnight over the mountain called Paozu, where the universes strongest worrier slept.  Android 16 had been leaning against the wall ever since everyone else went to bed, recharging.  Now, dead on midnight, he suddenly wirred into life.  

He walked to the kitchen counter, picked up a pen, and looked around for something on which he could write a note.  He noticed one of Gohan's study books on the coffee table, and picked it up.  On the back of it he wrote, in clear, neat, writing, "Begin your training without me.  Trunks and Goten are safe. I will return in two days with them." 

He placed the book on the counter, then, floating an inch of the ground so as not to disturb Vegeta, he moved quietly into Goten's bedroom.  The boys were both sound asleep.  16 bent down and picked up Trunks, before reaching out and grabbing Goten too.  The three of them disappeared.  

***

The Supreme Kai's world was pain.  Everywhere, all through his body, all he could feel was pain.  He could see Sugakoo's back, turned away from him. He could distantly hear Sugakoo's voice, taunting North Kai.  The part of him that was Kibito was healing the wound, but the agony remained.  How could this be! This worrier was almost as strong as Majin Buu! The kais hadn't been able to detect the existence of Sugakoo, until his egg was noticed by North Kai in the ruins of Namik.  Even then, they new nothing of what it was, or what it could mean.  They left it there, to do whatever it was meant to do.  It had hatched to reveal one of the greatest fears of the Kais.  

Sugakoo: Dark one. He who will bring about a new dawn to the universe. A black Dawn.  

The definition all the Kais had learnt in childhood.  Kibitokai new not how Sugakoo found that name, written only in the darkest memories of the Kais, but he was destined to own it, as he was destined to learn of his duty, and the part he had to play in the scheme of things. And soon, he would be immortal. Not like the Kai's, ageless until they are killed, or Garlic Jr., impossible to kill, but weak, Sugakoo's powers would be limitless.  

He could hear Sugakoo moving, turning back towards him.  His face was on the ground, so he couldn't see him, but he new the demon was coming closer, raising his hand, creating the killing blast, firing…

Grand Kai was, for once, not listening to his walkman. He watched as Sugakoo appeared, saw him blast Supreme Kai, looked him in the eyes when he turned to taunt the Kais, looked on as he turned to kill his master.  He kept his eyes leveled on the place where Supreme Kai lay, shivering slightly.  Since he had been out of practice for 2000 years or so, he was now only as strong as Freeza, but Sugakoo didn't need to exert himself too much. The fat man was confident he could deflect it, if he came in at the right moment.  He launched himself into the air and hurtled towards Sugakoo as the blast shot from his hands.  He arrived in front of it just in time, reaching out to catch it.  The blast hit his open hands, and burnt them away.  The deity watched, open-mouthed, as it traveled up his arms, leaving only ash behind it.  It reached his chest, and burnt clean through it, separating his head and shoulders from the rest of his body.  What was left disappeared, spirited away to other world's Check in Station. The kais gasped as one.  They were all doomed to die. 

***

Goten woke with a start.  No wonder.  He was lying in the snow, the wind whipping around him, wearing only his boxers.  He got to his feet. "Wha, where am I?!" He saw Trunks lying near him, also in only his underwear.  Android 16 was watching from behind him. "You are awake," he said, causing Goten to jump about a mile straight upwards.  He dropped back into the snow, facing #16, in Super Saiyan form.  "Why did you bring us here?" he asked.  

"You are needed," he said.  "You have a job to do." Trunks was sitting up and rubbing his eyes. 

"Goten? Where are we?" 

"We are on a planet called Rhyontou," 16 said, "This is the planet from which our enemy seems to have originated." 

"Oh, so you're here," Trunks said. "Did you bring us to this place?" 

"Yes. We have work to do here. It is almost time we began our mission." 

"Are we going to do this mission in our underwear?" Goten asked.  "It's so cold here." 

"I couldn't see any clothes within easy reach, and I cannot return to get some, because Sugakoo, our enemy, may notice us. That must not happen." Goten and Trunks nodded glumly. "When do we start?" 

"Now." 

***

Sugakoo turned on the watching Kais.  "You let your master die! Now you pay for your mistake!" He lifted his hands, facing his palms towards the Kais. He let loose suddenly a volley of huge blasts in all directions.  The Grand Kai's palace was set alight.  The ground around was scorched dry.  But most important were the casualties.  East Kai was vaporized as a blast consumed her.  The same blast destroyed the top half of South Kai's body. West Kai was still alive, but one arm was burnt beyond recognition.  The others weren't touched by the blast.  Goku had taken care of them both for it. "We died!" said East Kai, reappearing accompanied by a halo.  South Kai followed a few seconds afterwards, just as West Kai stood up, fully healed, also sporting a halo. "All of us are dead!" South Kai cried, "But where's Grand Kai?" 

"I'm actually wondering the same thing," Sugakoo mused, "come on, you're late." Grand Kai appeared, frowning. 

"I was sure I could knock that thing!" he yelled. 

"Which is exactly what I was counting on," Sugakoo laughed. "I think this generation of Kais is beyond it's time. They've all managed to get themselves killed! One of them even got blown to the next dimension by his own student! This has truly been an embarrassment that will go down in history! Time for new rule, I say! Your power, and the power of all those to whom you have given special privileges is gone, now!" On the word now, the dead Kais disappeared, taken to heaven like any normal dead person.  Also, the students of the Kais were cast off The Grand Kai's planet and put with their masters in heaven. The rain of the Kai dynasty had ended, almost. 

***

After Coola died, leaving planet Freeza#79 unclaimed, the colony world was overrun by cheap restaurants and casinos.  It had a good number of them even before that.  Zarbon and Dedoria went out to gamble frequently when they were off duty and a lot of the people who manned the watch towers often escaped to the best of them all, The Colmnopax.  So this was where Saicho went.  Sugakoo had told him to gather the strongest men he could.  Many good men were left nameless after the army lost it's emperor.  They had built new lives for themselves, low, gambling lives.  If you could beat someone in a fight you could take anything from them.  Saicho was coming here to find some of the people who had been in Freeza's army, to use as strong leaders in the war that was to follow, against the two planets Sugakoo had chosen.  Long ago Coola had guessed which these could be, but Vegeta was one of them, and Freeza had destroyed it, so he didn't know which planets they would use, but if Sugakoo was allowed to be reawakened, their had to be two planets related in the same way the intended two had been.  

"Hey," Saicho said quietly.  His scouter had registered a power of 55000, which was considered incredibly strong around here.  It belonged to a muscle-bound blue skinned man in front of him.  "Yeah?" he turned and saw the scouter on Saicho's face.  "You're quite strong," Saicho complimented, "would you be interested in joining an army of mine.  Maybe taking a couple of planets I had in mind and starting a new empire?" 

"Your kiddin," the man exclaimed, his muscles rippling, "that might be good.  Back at the top again! Count me in!"   

"Yes," Saicho said, "I certainly will, however I want to see just how well you fight, so I know where to put you in this attack force."

"Yeah," he replied, "outside. By the way, the names Kamawa." 

***

Vegeta's raw almost lifted the Paozu mountain off the Earth. "Where is my son!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

Gohan stepped back slightly at this thunderous sound. Goku was inside with the old Ox King, trying to comfort Chi-chi. Who knew what would happen when Bulma heard about all this. Vegeta was powering up to Super Saiyan 2 without noticing it. "Vegeta stop it!" Gohan yelled over the echoes of Vegeta's cry. "You're not doing them any good!" Vegeta relaxed, powering down to normal. The hybrid was right. 

"I new that android had something up his sleeve," he growled. 

"I don't know," Gohan replied doubtfully. "He seemed pretty sincere to me, but I suppose it's hard to tell what a robot is thinking. My question is who revived him in the first place?" 

"What does it matter?!" Vegeta replied, "he's taken your brother and my son!" 

"He did leave a note."

"But he didn't tell us where he was going, did he! He never said why he took them! He didn't explain anything!" 

"Calm down Vegeta," Goku said, walking casually out of the house. "They'll be back in a couple of days, just like he wrote in his note. Just trust me on this one, Ok?" 

"Kakarot! How can you be so darn trusting!" With that, the prince of the Saiyans shot up into the air, and flew away in disgust to cool off, before facing Bulma with the news. 

"He'll be back soon enough," Goku said, walking back into the house. Gohan sighed. Another battle loomed ahead, and according to what Android 16 had told them, if he could be trusted, this could be one of the most dangerous they had ever fought. 


	4. Powers of the old Universe

Black Dawn: Part 4

Powers of the old Universe

Author's Note: To those who are reading this off Fanfiction.net, sorry for the shaky start in poasting. This is the first fanfic I've tried to put up here, and my computer's terrible! I promice there'll be no more weird chapter titles or broken links. 

The Home for Infinite Losers had been invaded by someone who was not dead. Villains from all over the universe stopped and stared as Sugakoo walked casually by. Sometimes the students of the Kais came along to take care of mass uprisings, but for someone from the physical plane to come here, some great calamity must have befallen the organization system of this dimension. 

It wasn't long before Sugakoo found someone who might know where he could find what he was looking for. A long-haired Saiyan worrier stood on a cliff, sending beams of energy down into the lava below him, and watching it bubble and boil as the beams hit. He remembered Freeza viewing pictures of this saiyan. He was one of the three Freeza had allowed to survive the destruction of Planet Vegeta, and his name was Raditz. "Good afternoon Raditz," Sugakoo said, "I am Sugakoo, and you are going to tell me where Freeza is."

Raditz turned, stepping gracefully into a fighting stance, still holding one of the energy beams he had been about to direct into the lava. "What makes you so certain?" he asked, "why do you want to know anyway?" 

Sugakoo summoned a small, brightly glowing energy ball into his hand. "I am certain because I am the new King of the dead, and the living, and I can, and will do what ever I see fit to you if you do not obey my command. As for the reason I am searching for Freeza, he has made my plan difficult to complete, so I am going to punish him. Now, will you help me, or shall I do to you what I will do to your changeling master?"

"No master of mine," Raditz scoffed, "he lives over the other side of that mountain, with his father and brother, and some of his thugs." 

"Thank you," Sugakoo replied, lifting off into the air, "I will be sure to give you a high place in my kingdom." He flew away, to find Freeza, and Raditz went to find the other Saiyans. 

***

Saicho and Kamawa stood outside the Colmnopax, both of them in fighting stances. Saicho had found a referee, who would also be included in the task force, since he possessed a power level of around 1100. Several people had followed them out to see the fight, and were standing back, watching excitedly as the two fighters powered up. The referee wore Saicho's scouter, and cried out the power levels as they quickly increased. Both Saicho and Kamawa had been in the highest class in their respective armies, and Saicho had been in Cold's special force, so it was surely going to be a spectacle like no other. Once the two had finished powering up, the referee cried, "Let the match begin!", and they leapt at each other, fists clenched. Saicho slammed his hands forward towards Kamawa's stomach, but Kamawa sidestepped, leaving Saicho slightly off balance, and launched an energy ball at his face. Saicho barely had time to dodge, and responded with a flurry of small attacks that Kamawa had to block with his hands. He then took advantage of his situation by charging forward, grabbing Kamawa by the shoulders and slamming him into the ground. He returned to his original fighting stance, and waited for his opponent to get up. After Kamawa showed no sign of moving for at least ten seconds, Saicho, feeling rather puzzled, looked back down at him. The members of the audience were also getting restless, and complaining about how short an uneventful fight it had been, when Saicho suddenly realized that Kamawa wasn't breathing. He had seen fighters perform this move before. They could move so fast that they left an image of themselves where they were before they moved. He spun around, fists raised, but he was too late. Kamawa ran at him from the side, tackling him to the ground and delivering a volley of powerful blows that left Saicho in considerable pain. The audience began to cheer Kamawa on, as he started to pound his opponent into the ground. Then, Saicho released an energy ball directly at Kamawa's chest, which sent him flying back into the audience, with his shirt in tatters, and in need of a few hours in a healing tank. "Saicho is the winner of the match!" the referee yelled, and the audience cheered enthusiastically, as Saicho went over to Kamawa. "Good fight," he said, "you're a general in my army. Meat me back here tomorrow." Then he walked off to the next casino on his list, to search for more men to help Sugakoo conquer the universe. 

***

Kibitokai awoke slowly. He was lying on the hard floor of the Kai palace, and his muscles were stiff and saw, as if he had been through some great trauma and was utterly exhausted. He rolled onto his back, and the action produced a dull pain in his chest, bringing him back to reality. "Sugakoo!" he moaned, "Oh no!" All the other Kais had been killed by Sugakoo, and then he must have lost consciousness, but why hadn't Sugakoo killed him too? It was unlikely that he would have been forgotten, so Sugakoo must want something from him. Whatever it was, he decided that no matter what Sugakoo threatened him with, or did to him, he would never do it. "I have to find the others," he said, and promptly disappeared. 

******

Goten, Trunks and Android 16 flew over the glaciers of Rhyontou, the two boys shivering in their wet underwear. "What are we looking for here anyway?" Goten asked. 

"We are looking for The Book of Sugakoo," Android 16 answered. "That is the name of our enemy, and the book was written by the gods of the old universe, and added to by some of these people, in the time when Sugakoo was born, many hundreds of years ago."

 "The old universe?" Trunks questioned.

"Yes," 16 replied. "That universe was destroyed by its own guardians so that the great power that was ruling over it would finally die, and a new universe, free of that power could be born. Unfortunately, a part of that power survived, and was eventually reborn in this universe. One of the guardians of the old universe stayed on when the new universe was made, to take care of just that eventuality, and he defeated Sugakoo when he first awoke, but he has once again returned, and this time, it is up to us to stop him." 

"Why doesn't that god just stop him again?" Goten wondered. 

"Because he is no longer allowed to directly become involved in our universe. It has been decided that beings from the old universe should not be able to affect us any more. Only Sugakoo does not follow this rule, because he is bound by no rules, and that is why he was once so powerful." 

"Then why didn't you just go get it yourself?" Trunks asked.

"The book must be opened by two children, one royal of blood, one pure of heart. You are prince of the Saiyans, and Goten has a pure heart, so you are the children who will open the book."

They flew on for another half-hour or so, until they came to a huge tower made only of ice. "Wow!" Goten and Trunks breathed in unison. 

"This is where the book of Sugakoo is kept," Android 16 said. "It will be guarded. 

As if in response to the androids words, two creatures moved out from behind the ice tower. They were huge, shaggy, wolf-like animals, with teeth that glinted in the darkness, and their movements were synchronized exactly, as if they were two different bodies with the same mind. "We are the guardians of the book of Sugakoo!" they snarled. "If you wish to take our treasure, you must defeat us in battle!" 

The two Saiyan children smiled. "This is gunna be an easy fight," Trunks said quietly, "let's go."

They landed, and stepped in to their fighting stances. "Come and get us!" Goten yelled. The Rhyontou worriers chose their opponents, and charged. 


	5. Freeza's Torture Begins

Black Dawn: Part 5

Freeza's Torture Begins

Goku was never completely happy unless he was fighting. The challenge of every new enemy excited him, and gave him a purpose for living.  While Dende was Earth's guardian, Goku was certainly Earth's champion. Now, a new enemy was threatening Earth, and as always, the Z fighters had been called for to protect it, with Goku in the lead.

Now, Goku stood in an open field, the aura of a Super Saiyan radiating around him, while his son Gohan bent and stretched in preparation for the match. They had been given ten days to prepare for the fight against the enemy called Sugakoo, and they intended to use them, by training as much as they could. As Goku stepped into his fighting stance, he realized that this was the first time they were preparing to fight an enemy without actually knowing what sort of power they possessed. They didn't know much about Sugakoo at all; accept for what #16 had told them, which was very little. Goku would just have to trust in the android, and hope that Sugakoo wasn't much stronger than Majin Buu, and that he was as strong as he had been when he fought the little demon. 

Finished with his stretching, Gohan began to power up. The mystic upgrade that he had been given by the Old Kai began to show, as the saiyan took on a godlike appearance, and much greater muscle mass, this transformation felt much different to the change into a super Saiyan. In Super Saiyan form, his whole personality changed. He became a fighting machine, without weakness or reserve. This mystic power felt more natural to Gohan, since he had never enjoyed fighting as much as his father. He reached down, deep inside him for the hidden power that made him the legendary super Saiyan of his generation, channeling it into this new transformation, but then, suddenly, the mystic power was stripped away, and Gohan was left standing rather confused, and unable to regain his strength. "What happened?" Goku asked.

"I don't know," Gohan replied, "I just lost all that power." Gohan began to power up again, but this time, instead of the mystic power, the transformation into a Super Saiyan occurred, adding to Goku's already shining aura. "I don't understand it," he said, "I can't find my mystic power at all!" 

"Maybe it doesn't last forever," Goku suggested, "after all, you haven't been using it for a while." 

"Wouldn't Old Kai have mentioned that? It sounded to me like the mystic upgrade was a permanent thing!" 

"You're right Gohan," a deep voice interrupted, "the mystic power was permanent, but the Kai magic has been reversed." Piccolo landed gracefully on the grass in front of the two super Saiyans, his cape, which had been spread out behind him, now resettling itself against his back. "Remember what Android 16 told you? Sugakoo attacked the Kai planet not long ago. He has now taken over Otherworld completely, and all the power of the Kais is gone. The universe is already falling into disrepair, because the check in station to otherworld has been abandoned. King Yama and his secretaries no longer have any authority over the dead. All of that was given to them by the Kais."

"So does that mean that people will be escaping from otherworld?" Gohan asked worriedly. 

"Not yet," Piccolo reassured, "Sugakoo seems to be leaving everyone where they are for now. That's about the only good thing I can see in all this." 

"How do you know all this Piccolo?" Goku asked, "Did Dende tell you?" 

"Yes. Dende still has some power, because his power is allowed him by deities other than the Kais. He's in otherworld now, trying to keep at least the soles from Earth under control. He sent me to join you. Everyone we have will be needed in this battle."

"So it's that bad," Goku mused, "I can't even use my Instant Transmission to go to Otherworld to help out any more, because that power was a special gift from the Kais." 

"No Goku. When Android 16 returns, we will be able to go to Otherworld, but until then, we're powerless, and Dende is on his own in there. I only hope he'll be all right." 

***

The two Rhyontou worriers snarled as one, leaping forward to attack the Saiyan children. Trunks grabbed hold of his opponent's head and tried to push him backwards, but the wolf only snarled and kept advancing. Trunks was slightly put off by this, but decided that a head on energy blast would do the trick. "Burning attack!" he yelled, as his hands went through a series of complicated movements. A bright and powerful blast leapt from the child's hands, only to fade away as it touched the Rhyontou. "How did he do that?" Trunks asked incredulously. He never got an answer, because the Rhyontou decided to take advantage of his distraction. It was on top of the purple-haired boy before he could react, slashing, bighting and tearing at his chest and arms. Trunks quickly slammed his fist into the wolf's belly, but it still kept up its vicious attack, never letting Trunks gain the slightest advantage. He couldn't even concentrate on transforming into a super Saiyan. "Android 16! I need help!" he cried feebly. 

Android 16 watched on helplessly as Goten and Trunks were tackled by the guardians of the book of Sugakoo. The children weren't doing well, but he was forbidden to interrupt the fight. All he could do was hope that they would eventually emerge victorious. If they did not, then this universe had no hope. The laws and prophecies that would show them how to save the universe were all written in the book of Sugakoo, and if they couldn't defeat Sugakoo, existence as they new it would soon be erased.  

***

For one of the first times in his life, or, more accurately, his death, Freeza was afraid. Sugakoo, who had once been his master and protector, now stood over him, snarling down at him. "I told you to leave some of them alive! I told you if you went to Namek you would die! I told you this many times, and still, you didn't listen to me! You fully deserved your death Freeza! Once, you were like an extra hand to me, my agent among the people of the real universe, but you let your desire grow more important than your task, and that one mistake proved to be your ultimate downfall!" He kicked the already bruised and battered changeling in the side, sending him rolling limply across the grass. "Now look what you've become! You once had the power of a god at your fingertips! Now you grovel helplessly while I beat you into a pulp! Even worse, you brought Coola and Cold into this, and got them killed too! They would have obeyed me, if you had not convinced your father to take you to Earth! I warned Coola not to follow you, but he would have none of it! When I am finished with you, you will regret ever having learnt of the dragon balls!" 

The changeling trembled uncontrollably. He had tortured many of his servants in the past. He would remove their arms, and leave them to bleed until they were near death. Then he would break their legs and hold them up side down in the air, so they shrieked in pain from their broken bones. After that, he would proceed to gradually burn through the victim's skin with a very weak energy beam, allowing them at least 10 minutes to contemplate their horrible end before he told them he would now let the energy beam end their agony. Then, he would thrust the beam into the victim's left shoulder, and pull out his heart, in just the way that allowed the tortured sole to see his heart before he died. Freeza had often enjoyed this torture, not with his lower class soldiers; they were too weak to play with, but usually with servants who worked in his many palaces. They were quite strong, and new Freeza well, so he had plenty of opportunity to enjoy their suffering. Now, he new he would undergo a similar torture. Sugakoo had never seen any of his torture sessions, but somehow, he would know just the methods Freeza had used, and would certainly use them, all the while taunting him about how, in his glory days, he would never have imagined undergoing the same torture he dished out constantly to his subjects. He new the look that would be on his face. He had seen it so many times before, and now all the faces on which he had seen that terrible look flashed through his mind, one by one. 

Freeza began to scream. 

Author's Note: Please tell me what you think of my story! I want feedback! Even criticism is welcome, as long as it's constructive and intelligent. It'll only take you a few minutes, so please just spend a little of your extremely valuable time to  tell me what you think! 


	6. Dogs of War

Black Dawn: Part 6

Dogs of War

With King Yama disappeared to who knows where, and many lost soles wondering about the check in station, it was a wonder that Dende had been able to gather any Earth soles at all. As it was, he had found only a dozen or so, and they were all bound for HFIL. He wasn't looking forward to going down there, especially since he suspected Sugakoo would be waiting, but he had to do his duty, even if it meant risking his life. 

"This way everyone!" he called to the babbling clouds following him.  Yama had obviously left in a hurry. Papers were piled haphazardly about on his desk, and the giant book in which all the soles who had ever checked into Otherworld were listed was lying open at page 785574560358423735. The ogre had been in the middle of writing in a name when he had left. There was an S, then a U, then a blurred character he couldn't make out. The pen had been dropped on the floor, and the demon king's chair had been toppled. He closed the book, marking the page with the oversized pen he had picked up. No-one but King Yama and his workers were aloud to see the Book of the Dead, and he felt rather guilty at having taken a look, even though he was guardian of the Earth. He walked on, the confused soles trailing behind him, until he found the gateway into HFIL. He pulled away the rusty chain, and pushed open the giant gate slowly. It took all his effort just to move it, since he was nowhere near as strong a fighter as Yama had been. Finally, the gateway was open, and he led the soles through. They hung back, staring at the unattractive gate, and the endless steps ahead of them. Dende had expected this. It was going to be difficult to convince them to go down there. "Come on!" he yelled, "You can't stay here!"

"Why?" inquired one of the clouds, "it looks more dangerous down there to me!"

"Because that's where you belong! If you don't go down there you might be erased forever!" This wasn't true, of course, but he had to do something to make them move along. If they found a way back out onto the lookout and down to Earth, they might cause endless trouble for the people still alive. "You'll at least have somewhere to stay for now!"

Grudgingly the clouds followed him through the gates and down the steps. For what seemed like hours Dende walked on, the soles floating behind him, and still the steps kept going down, with no sight of the bottom of them. The clouds were beginning to grow agitated. "When do they stop?" one asked. Dende almost groaned aloud. He was thinking exactly the same thing, only he had to walk down the steps. The soles never grew tired. They were just bored. He couldn't relieve his aching legs by flying, because it was banned on the Walk of Shame, as Grand Kai called it. "Otherwise it would be the Flight of shame, and that just wouldn't fit!" he had said. Dende wasn't aware of this brilliant piece of logic, so now he wished he could make Grand Kai walk these steps himself, and see what torment he put the stray Nameck who had to lead a few ghosts down there every few thousand years through. "Not too much further now!" he cried hopefully. Then at last, he saw a bright flame rising from the depths of Otherworld. "Look! We're nearly there!" The soles all cheered, and Dende prepared to walk all the way back again…

***

Goten was barely managing to hold back the Rhyontou trying to bight into his throat. The wolf was heavy, and much stronger than he'd expected, so that he had to use all his strength just to hold the beasts head up. If he could just get out from under it, he might be able to use a Kamehameha to slow it down a bit, but it had its front paws on his shoulders, and he couldn't shake them off. He had already tried using his feet and knees to injure the giant animal, but no matter what he did, it just wouldn't stop! From what he could hear, it seemed like Trunks was having a similar problem, and that was distracting him as well. He was stuck between the ice and the wolf's paws, with nowhere to go. No! Wait! Maybe, if he could find another way to keep the wolf's head away from his throat, he would have his hands back, along with a way to escape! Frantically, he pulled his knees to him, and slammed them into the Rhyontou's throat. The creature gave a throaty roar of surprise and anger, as Goten placed his palms on the ice on either side of him, and poured energy into it. 

The results were immediate, and very satisfying. What had a few seconds ago been solid ice suddenly became warm water, allowing Goten to easily slip out from under the Rhyontou. He leapt out of the water, and quickly called up the power of a super Saiyan. The Rhyontou hadn't surfaced yet, so he decided to help Trunks. He ran over to where the other fight was occurring, and readied himself to attack. "Ka!" The Rhyontou on top of Trunks turned its head, but seeing what Goten was doing, he returned to trying to subdue the purple-haired prince. "Me!" Trunks heard Goten readying his attack, and his face broke into a smile. Then he remembered what had happened to his burning attack, and saw the beast ignore Goten completely. "Ha!" 

"Goten! It won't work!" Trunks yelled, "I think these things can somehow resist our energy waves!" 

Goten stopped powering up his attack in surprise. To test Trunks's theory, he released his Kamehameha prematurely, and just as Trunks had expected, it dissipated almost as soon as it touched the creature's fir. "How are we supposed to fight it if we can't use our energy?" Goten asked. 

"Help me Goten!" Trunks rasped. Seeing that his friend was in danger, Goten rushed to help, lifting the Rhyontou of his friend. Trunks stood up, transforming into a Super Saiyan, and immediately stepping into a fighting pose. The other Rhyontou had gotten out of the water now, and suddenly attacked Trunks from behind, but the Super Saiyan leapt up into the air, and the monster's attack missed completely. Goten and the other Rhyontou were wrestling not far off, and Goten was now winning, so the wet k9 decided to join his friend. Trunks was there to stop him with a kick between the eyes, but even when Trunks's foot hit, the Rhyontou still kept charging, pushing the child off balance. He pin-wheeled his arms desperately, trying to keep himself upright, but it was no use. His bear foot slipped on the ice, and he fell backwards, with a jolt, as his back hit the cold ground. The Rhyontou tried to pin Trunks down again, but he rolled out from under the giant dog before it could catch him. He leapt into the air, flew over to where Goten was fighting the other wolf and grabbed hold of its head. While holding the second Rhyontou by the scruff of the neck, he stopped the first with the jab of an elbow in its neck. It choked and gasped for air, as Trunks pulled it down next to its friend. "Looks like this battles over already," he scoffed, "I didn't think you'd last long against two Super Saiyans." Goten smiled, putting one foot on the back of each dog. "We are victorious!" he yelled. Trunks stood up, dusting the dog hair off his boxers. "Now! Where is the Book of Sugakoo?"

Author's Note: I know this part is a bit shorter than usual, but that's because I only wanted to finish the Battle on Rhyontou. The next 2 parts will probably be extra long, because I have a lot I want to happen in them. Congratulations to Dargon Sheinto for being my first reviewer!


	7. Cell's Challenge

Black Dawn: Part 7

Cell's Challenge

For the last few hours Kibitokai had been frantically searching for his fellow deities. He knew they would have kept together, and would be hiding somewhere, trying to create a strategy, or contact Goku on Earth. Unfortunately he was unable to use telepathy himself, and didn't think Sugakoo would be allowing the thoughts of any Kai to pass through to the physical plane at the moment. The same rules that applied to every ordinary lost sole now also applied to the former Kings of Otherworld. Among all those soles, they would be very hard to find, but they didn't yet know that he still lived, and he might be their best chance to reach Goku. Time was running short. They now had only four days before the death of this universe, and birth of a new one, ruled over by Sugakoo. It was the duty of every man, woman and child to do there very best to stop this, and his especially. "I must find them!" he growled in frustration as he teleported to the end of Snake Way. This was the most likely place to find the others in which he hadn't yet searched, and they weren't here either. "Where would they go? They aren't on any of the Kai's planets; they aren't at the House of the Undying, or the Otherworld airport! What has happened to them?" He looked sadly down over the edge of Snake Way, wondering what he could do alone to stop such a crisis. King Yama would be headed for the House of the Undying by now, so perhaps he could go to the check in station and help the planet guardians somehow. With a sigh, Kibito-kai disappeared, and Snake Way was once again empty.

Dende arrived back at the Check in Station two hours later, breathless, tired and frustrated. He had left the dead soles back down in HFIL, but on the way back he had encountered a vicious alien ghost who must have been on the way down when Sugakoo took over. Its strength was greater than 100, so it had been allowed to keep its body, and it was a very impressive body too. It was a broad creature, with hard skin that also served as tough armor. Its long arms ended in sharp, ripping claws which it used to try to tear the guardian of Earth to pieces. Luckily, he had been fast enough to avoid it, but it chased him half way up the stairs before finally giving up and tagging behind him for the rest of the way, despite his protests. It unnerved him, listening to it slowly, ominously clumping behind him, and he wished it would find something more interesting to do and leave him alone. Maybe he could occupy it at the Check in Station, and slip away when it wasn't looking. There was certainly plenty to do there. All the people who had died that day in the entire universe were floating about confusedly, and it was almost impossible to tell who was meant to go where. There were other planets which had guardians, usually planets that were plagued by evil like Earth and all the planet guardians would probably be up here trying to help clean up by now, but each planet guardian only had the authority to guide his own people, and they would be extremely hard to find among the confusion in any case. All in all, it was a disaster, and there was very little one young Nameck could do about it. With a sigh, Dende began to dart about among the trillions of clouds packed into King Yama's office, looking for any humans. When he realized in dismay that the skeletal alien was matching him move for move, he turned to it in defeat. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Takamitsu," it replied in a deep, rasping voice.

"Well, Takamitsu. If you've got nothing better to do than follow me all day then maybe you should make yourself useful. Uh, do you know what a human looks like?"

There was blood everywhere. He could taste it in his mouth, and feel its vile stickiness covering his face. He had never in his life seen so much of it before, not even when he fought against that dammed monkey who'd started this whole mess. At least he had been able to fight back then, and even when he was torn in half by his own cutting attack, the Saiyan had offered him mercy. Sugakoo offered none. He beat into the changeling with a savage bloody ferocity he new all to well from his own heart. He couldn't even try to stop it. He wasn't nearly half the strength of his tormenter, and now he wasn't even strong enough to fire one pitiful energy blast. If he had been alive, then he would have given up all hope of a continued existence by now, but he wasn't. He had nothing to hope for. It was all because of that dirty tribe of primitive apes! He hated the universe, he hated the Saiyans, he hated Sugakoo, and he hated himself. He couldn't see, or hear anything now. The pain was too grate, but just before he slipped into unconsciousness, he wondered vaguely why the beating had stopped.

Above the battered changeling, Sugakoo stood, his fist poised over Freeza's already unrecognizable head. "How dare you!" he snarled at the person who had attacked him from behind. In front of him stood Cell, Doctor Gero's most powerful android, powered up and ready for battle.

"How dare you invade our territory?" Cell retorted. "I never thought I'd be doing this, but I need someone to beat up in my free time, and Freeza just happens to be the strongest other than myself who lives around here. If you want to spoil my punching bag, you're going to have to fight me first!"

Sugakoo chuckled. "You're wasting your time, my android friend. Surely you can sense that I am far stronger than you are."

"Of course I can," Cell replied. "You're certainly much stronger than me, but it takes skill and speed as well as brute strength to win a fight, and besides, I'm already dead, so I don't have anything to lose."

Sugakoo smiled. "Very well then. I'll give you two minutes to defeat me, but when you're time's up and you've hardly managed to even scratch me, I'm going to take you out. I really don't have time for this. I only stopped off here because I was so annoyed with Freeza that I new I wouldn't be satisfied until I'd given him what he deserved. Now I've taken care of that, I should really be finalizing my takeover of otherworld, but I suppose a fight, even with a weakling like you, might help me to get back into shape."

His take over of Otherworld? Cell wondered. What does he mean? Perhaps that would explain why he doesn't have a halo, and he is stronger than any of the Kais, but surely Goku would be there, and knowing his Saiyan thirst for battle he must be around that strength by now. Could this strange new visitor possibly be holding back his power? No, he wasn't that kind of person. Maybe Sugakoo just didn't know about Goku yet. Maybe he thought he had everything under control, when in fact his death was waiting just around the corner, just like his had been back in his day. It made him so angry, that after so many years, and so many fights, that strange bunch of pests were still the strongest in the universe, even when their leader was gone. Not long ago the occupants of HFIL had been joined by a little wizard named Babidi, who had told them that he had been killed by his own creation, a very powerful demon who was terrorizing the Earth. Within an hour he had created a Crystal ball, and they watched Majin Buu turning people into chocolate for a while, only to end up living with that blundering oaf who'd tried to beat him at the Cell Games. At that point, he'd given up, and gone off to spar with Cold. Majin Buu must have failed, because he hadn't seen Babidi since. He saw in his mind's eye that giant Kamehameha Wave that had been the last thing he saw before his life ended and he was sent down here, and imagined how Freeza, and Napa, and Majin Buu, wherever he was had probably all died the same way, with a look of surprise on their faces as their dooms sped toward them. He wanted this intruder into his eternal torment to die the same way, only this death would be by his hand. Smiling with the thought of a possible victory ahead, Cell began to power up his attack. "Ka… Me… Ha… Me… Ha!"

Author's Note: Well, did you like this chapter? Did I characterize Cell properly? Should I keep Takamitsu in the story? Please tell me in a review or email! I know that this is actually the most famous DBZ fic on the net (just joking, that would either be Dragon Ball Super Z or Dominion: Reprise which are both excellent by the way), so please tell me all about what you like and don't like. Congratulations again to Dargon Sheinto, the only one of you hundreds of readers who took the time to review my last chapter! Hope you aren't too disappointed with this one.

Until next time…


End file.
